Overview

• University of Texas at Austin researchers report in Ecology and Evolution that a captured and banded bird from Bexar County is the first confirmed wild hybrid of these two jay species.
• The hybrid is a male with a green jay mother and a blue jay father, showing predominantly blue plumage with green jay–like black facial markings and blended vocalizations.
• Investigators first saw the bird in a homeowner’s May 2023 photo, then captured it in June 2023 to collect a blood sample before releasing it for potential re-sighting.
• Researchers link the hybridization to recent range overlap around San Antonio, driven by warming temperatures and, for blue jays, expansion associated with human settlements.
• The only other known blue–green jay hybrid was produced in a Texas zoo in 1965, and while this case is not a new species, informal nicknames such as “grue,” “teal,” and “bleen” jay have been floated.